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Twins (group)
Encyclopedia
Twins is a Hong Kong
-based female Cantopop
duo which was created in the summer of 2001 by Emperor Entertainment Group
(EEG). Twins is made up of two girls, Charlene Choi Cheuk-Yin
and Gillian Chung Yan-Tung
. They were a popular group in Hong Kong
and a top band in China
. Their fanbase included Japan
, Singapore
, Thailand
, Malaysia, Canada
, Australia
, United States
and Philippines
. Their music was generally targeted at young teens, but in 2004 they began to attract a wider audience by venturing into different styles of music. In July 2008 the duo announced their split after the Edison Chen photo scandal
involving Gillian Chung. After two years the group finally reunited in 2010.
had also worked as a part-time model during one of her summer vacations in Hong Kong. Similar to her erstwhile partner, Charlene Choi
was also a part-time model who had appeared in several advertisements
. She became famous after her participation in the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) television program Y2K. Both caught the attention of EEG
manager Mani Fok (霍汶希). They subsequently auditioned for and later formed the duo known as "Twins".
to make personal pages and web games. Their first 2001 EP Twins (AVEP)
went platinum
in its first week of sales. During their first two years, Twins released 3 EP
s and 3 album
s, all of which sold very well. Most of their songs stayed at the top of many different musical charts for several weeks.
Twins had their first concert in 2002 and three more in 2003, one of which was held in Guangzhou
. Between 2001 and 2003, they received a total of 72 total awards. By 2003, they have received a large number of awards from the four major Hong Kong media organizations of RTHK, Commercial Radio Hong Kong
, Metro Radio
and TVB.
At the 2006 Hong Kong Entertainment Awards ceremony Choi tearfully acknowledged that there have been criticisms of the Twins' singing abilities and that she hoped that they could better improve in the coming year.
In February 2007, they celebrated their sixth year together in the Hong Kong music industry
. They released a special Sixth Anniversary New + Best Selection CD/DVD. In September of the same year, Twins embarked on a multi-city North America
n concert tour, with special guests Sun Boy'Z. International stops included San Francisco, Toronto
, and Atlantic City. It was their first time performing on a major tour across several North American cities.
In early January 2008, twins won two major awards at the 2007 Jade Solid Gold Top 10
. They earned the most popular group award as well as the most popular Asia Pacific region female artist award.
. Companies covering all types of products have advertised with the pop duo with the first advertisement with Whisper (護舒寶) in 2000. Between 2001 and 2005 they advertised more than 10 products each year. Big name companies include Nokia
, Epson, Biore, Coca-Cola
, LG
and many more.
Asia Awards in Thailand
together. They were nominated for and won the Hong Kong Favorite artist award.
On 16 January 2009, during a TVB interview on My 2008 (我的2008), Choi talked about how she handled the media. During the 31st RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards hosted in January 2009, Choi said Twins would return.
On the night of 27 February 2010 the "EEG 10th anniversary concert" was held at The Venetian Macao
luxury hotel. A number of singers were present including EEG and non-EEG representatives. Some notables include Joey Yung
, Nicholas Tse
, Leo Ku
, Vincy Chan
, William Chan
, Yumiko Cheng
, Anthony Wong and many more. Gillian Chung
and Charlene Choi
appeared on stage together for the first time in two years to do a small performance for the anniversary concert. They sang (風箏與風), (下一站天后), (女校男生), (飲歌), (戀愛大過天) and (人人彈起).
A few days later on 3 March, Twins appeared in public at the Harbour plaza after parading around in a purple porsche
. A public announcement was made that Twins will reunite to perform in a three day "Nokia
Twins 2010 concert" from 16 to 18 April at the Hong Kong Coliseum
in Hung Hom
. The last time they performed at the same stage was four years ago.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
-based female Cantopop
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
duo which was created in the summer of 2001 by Emperor Entertainment Group
Emperor Entertainment Group
Emperor Entertainment Group is one of the largest entertainment groups in Hong Kong founded by Albert Yeung Sau-Shing in and established in Wan Chai in 1986, along with Music Icon Entertainment Limited and Emperor Motion Picture Group, EEG operates under the major conglomerate Emperor Multimedia...
(EEG). Twins is made up of two girls, Charlene Choi Cheuk-Yin
Charlene Choi
Charlene Choi is a Hong Kong based actress and singer. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Gillian Chung.-Biography:...
and Gillian Chung Yan-Tung
Gillian Chung
Gillian Chung is a Hong Kong based singer and actress. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Charlene Choi.-Early life:...
. They were a popular group in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and a top band in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Their fanbase included Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Malaysia, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Their music was generally targeted at young teens, but in 2004 they began to attract a wider audience by venturing into different styles of music. In July 2008 the duo announced their split after the Edison Chen photo scandal
Edison Chen photo scandal
The Edison Chen photo scandal involved the illegal distribution over the Internet of intimate and private photographs of Hong Kong actor Edison Chen with various women, including actresses Gillian Chung, Bobo Chan, Rachel Ngan and Cecilia Cheung. The scandal shook the Hong Kong entertainment...
involving Gillian Chung. After two years the group finally reunited in 2010.
Background
Gillian ChungGillian Chung
Gillian Chung is a Hong Kong based singer and actress. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Charlene Choi.-Early life:...
had also worked as a part-time model during one of her summer vacations in Hong Kong. Similar to her erstwhile partner, Charlene Choi
Charlene Choi
Charlene Choi is a Hong Kong based actress and singer. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Gillian Chung.-Biography:...
was also a part-time model who had appeared in several advertisements
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
. She became famous after her participation in the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) television program Y2K. Both caught the attention of EEG
Emperor Entertainment Group
Emperor Entertainment Group is one of the largest entertainment groups in Hong Kong founded by Albert Yeung Sau-Shing in and established in Wan Chai in 1986, along with Music Icon Entertainment Limited and Emperor Motion Picture Group, EEG operates under the major conglomerate Emperor Multimedia...
manager Mani Fok (霍汶希). They subsequently auditioned for and later formed the duo known as "Twins".
Career
Singing duo
After the pop duo was formed, Twins started their career in the summer of 2001, and was recognized for the song "明愛暗戀補習社". They initially collaborated with MSNMSN
MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
to make personal pages and web games. Their first 2001 EP Twins (AVEP)
Twins (AVEP)
Twins was the first EP for Twins and was released on August 2001. It contained 3 music videos and 6 songs. Among the songs, Ming Ai An Lian Bu Xi She was popular.-CD Content:#Computer Data Not Playable...
went platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in its first week of sales. During their first two years, Twins released 3 EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s and 3 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, all of which sold very well. Most of their songs stayed at the top of many different musical charts for several weeks.
Twins had their first concert in 2002 and three more in 2003, one of which was held in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. Between 2001 and 2003, they received a total of 72 total awards. By 2003, they have received a large number of awards from the four major Hong Kong media organizations of RTHK, Commercial Radio Hong Kong
Commercial Radio Hong Kong
Commercial Radio Hong Kong , aka Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company Limited is one of only two commercial radio broadcasting companies in Hong Kong along with Metro Radio Hong Kong. It contains a balanced array of entertainment including informative, educational, arts and cultural programmes...
, Metro Radio
Metro Broadcast Corporation Limited
Metro Broadcast Corporation Ltd. is one of the three broadcasting corporations in Hong Kong, the others being the Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company Limited and Radio Television Hong Kong...
and TVB.
At the 2006 Hong Kong Entertainment Awards ceremony Choi tearfully acknowledged that there have been criticisms of the Twins' singing abilities and that she hoped that they could better improve in the coming year.
In February 2007, they celebrated their sixth year together in the Hong Kong music industry
Music of Hong Kong
The Music of Hong Kong is an eclectic mixture of traditional and popular genres. Cantopop is one of the more prominent genres of music produced in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta regularly perform western classical music in the city...
. They released a special Sixth Anniversary New + Best Selection CD/DVD. In September of the same year, Twins embarked on a multi-city North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n concert tour, with special guests Sun Boy'Z. International stops included San Francisco, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and Atlantic City. It was their first time performing on a major tour across several North American cities.
In early January 2008, twins won two major awards at the 2007 Jade Solid Gold Top 10
2007 Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards
The 2007 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation was held in January 2008. It is part of the Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation series held at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Mistakes were also made by the hosts of the show in announcing the award for Hins Cheung, which was...
. They earned the most popular group award as well as the most popular Asia Pacific region female artist award.
Advertisements
Apart from their singing careers, Twins have also been involved in a number of advertisementsAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
. Companies covering all types of products have advertised with the pop duo with the first advertisement with Whisper (護舒寶) in 2000. Between 2001 and 2005 they advertised more than 10 products each year. Big name companies include Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, Epson, Biore, Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, LG
LG Group
LG Corp. is the second-largest South Korean conglomerate company following Samsung, and it is headquartered in the LG Twin Towers in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. LG produces electronics, chemicals, and telecommunications products and operates subsidiaries like LG Electronics, LG Display,...
and many more.
2005 Split rumours
In December 2005 a rumour mentioned the splitting of the two singers. However, they attended the May 2006 MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Asia Awards in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
together. They were nominated for and won the Hong Kong Favorite artist award.
2008 Edison Chen photo scandal
The group was dragged into the fray when images of Gillian were among those which found their way onto the internet at the end of February 2008. With Gillian deciding to duck out of the public eye, Twins announced its "temporary dissolution" in July 2008. Charlene said she was highly optimistic that they will reunite some dayOn 16 January 2009, during a TVB interview on My 2008 (我的2008), Choi talked about how she handled the media. During the 31st RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards hosted in January 2009, Choi said Twins would return.
Twins reunification
Two years after the split, many have wondered whether Twins had become a myth. In February 2010 Charlene Choi talked to the media about her experience in going solo. She summed up the experience by describing the name of her song "Two without one" (二缺一). Since then she has hoped for the return of the duo. She said that Twins was a symbol for the generation, and that they would never split apart.On the night of 27 February 2010 the "EEG 10th anniversary concert" was held at The Venetian Macao
The Venetian Macao
The Venetian Macao is a hotel and casino resort in Macau owned by the Las Vegas Sands corporation. The Venetian is a 40-story, $2.4 billion anchor for the 7 hotels on the Cotai Strip in Macau...
luxury hotel. A number of singers were present including EEG and non-EEG representatives. Some notables include Joey Yung
Joey Yung
Joey Yung is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress from Emperor Entertainment Group. She won the prestigious JSG "Most Popular Female Singer" and "Ultimate Best Female Singer - Gold" awards a record breaking six times, thus emerging as one of the premier Cantonese singers in Hong Kong...
, Nicholas Tse
Nicholas Tse
Nicholas Tse is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and musician, and son of actor Patrick Tse. He is a member of the Emperor Entertainment Group...
, Leo Ku
Leo Ku
Leo Ku Kui Kei is a famous China and Hong Kong artist, Cantonese and Mandarin pop singer, actor, host, cartoonist, MV Director and Producer, and designer; he is one of the highest visibility and Greater China Pop Male Artist, a major figure in popular music culture. Leo had earned the "Ten...
, Vincy Chan
Vincy Chan
Vincy Chan is a Hong Kong cantopop singer. Before the handover of 1997 when Hong Kong was returned from Great Britain to China, her family left Hong Kong and went to Singapore when she was a child. She was signed by Emperor Entertainment Group, and debuted with the album Vincy on 27 July 2006.She...
, William Chan
William Chan
William Chan is a Hong Kong singer and a former member of the Cantopop group Sun Boy'z.In April 2008, it was announced by the EEG company that William will leave Sun Boy'z and pursue a solo career. The group disbanded six months after his departure....
, Yumiko Cheng
Yumiko Cheng
Yumiko Cheng is a Hong Kong-based Cantopop singer. Cheng was given the Japanese nickname "Yumiko" by her friends in secondary school, and upon signing with EEG, adopted it as her official stagename.-Career:...
, Anthony Wong and many more. Gillian Chung
Gillian Chung
Gillian Chung is a Hong Kong based singer and actress. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Charlene Choi.-Early life:...
and Charlene Choi
Charlene Choi
Charlene Choi is a Hong Kong based actress and singer. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Gillian Chung.-Biography:...
appeared on stage together for the first time in two years to do a small performance for the anniversary concert. They sang (風箏與風), (下一站天后), (女校男生), (飲歌), (戀愛大過天) and (人人彈起).
A few days later on 3 March, Twins appeared in public at the Harbour plaza after parading around in a purple porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
. A public announcement was made that Twins will reunite to perform in a three day "Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
Twins 2010 concert" from 16 to 18 April at the Hong Kong Coliseum
Hong Kong Coliseum
Hong Kong Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena, in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.It was built by the Urban Council and inaugurated on 27 April 1983....
in Hung Hom
Hung Hom
Hung Hom is an area of Kowloon, in Hong Kong, administratively part of the Kowloon City District, with a portion west of the railway in the Yau Tsim Mong District. Hung Hom serves mainly residential purposes though is mixed with some industrial buildings in the north.-Geography:Hung Hom is located...
. The last time they performed at the same stage was four years ago.
Community work
The Twins have also been selected to promote several social campaigns in Hong Kong, such as summer activities for the "Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau" in July 2003.Film Collections
Featuring Both Charlene and Gillian:- 14 June 2002 Summer Breeze of Love (這個夏天有異性)
- 19 September 2002 Just One LookJust One LookJust One Look is a 2002 Hong Kong film written and directed by Yip Kam-Hung, and starring Shawn Yue, Anthony Wong and Gillian Chung.-Plot:A young man contemplates revenge on the gangster he believes responsible for his father's death...
(一碌蔗) - 23 June 2003 Twins Effect (千機變)
- 6 November 2003 The Death CurseThe Death CurseThe Death Curse is a comedy/horror movie. It was directed by Soi Cheang Pou-Soi and produced by Amy Tsui. Its popularity was due primarily to its cast which contained several members of Hong Kong bands.- Cast :...
(古宅心慌慌) - 2004 New Police Story
- 15 January 2004 Fantasia (鬼馬狂想曲)
- 3 February 2004 Protege de la Rose Noire (見習黑玫瑰)
- 8 April 2004 Love on Rocks (戀情告急)
- 6 August 2004 Twins Effect II (千機變II: 花都大戰)
- 25 November 2004 6 AM (大無謂)
- 24 March 2005House of FuryHouse of FuryHouse of Fury is a 2005 Hong Kong martial arts-action film directed by the film's co-star Stephen Fung. Jackie Chan was one of the executive producers .-Plot:...
(精武家庭) - 21 July 2005Bug Me Not!Bug Me Not!But Me Not! is a 2005 Hong Kong film directed by Law Chi-Leung. Isabella Leong, portraying Moon in Bug Me Not!, was nominated for Best New Performer for the 25th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2006.-Plot:...
(蟲不知) - 15 February 2007 Twins MissionTwins MissionTwins Mission is a 2007 Hong Kong martial arts-action-comedy film directed by action choreographer Kong Tao-Hoi and starring Sammo Hung, Gillian Chung, Charlene Choi and Wu Jing among others...
(雙子神偷) - 6 September 2007 Naraka19..(地獄第19層)
Concerts
- 13–15 September 2002 Ichiban Amazing Show (Twins Ichiban 興奮演唱會)
- 18–19 January 2003 Matsunichi Twins Guangzhou Amazing Show (松日Twins廣州興奮演唱會)
- 25 June 2003 Tou Hao Ren Wu Chang Hao Music Concert (頭號人物唱好音樂會)
- 2 August 2003 Netvigator NETCash Pop-up Concert ( 網上行叱吒樂壇Pop-Up音樂會)
- 31 December 2003 - 4 January 2004 Matsunichi Twins 04 Concert (Twins 04 好玩演唱會)
- 3 June 2005 Starlight Amusement Park Concert (Australia)
- 4–7 January 2006 Twins Star Mobile Incomparable Concert (Twins 星Mobile 一時無兩演唱會)
- 18–19 August 2006 Twins Concert in Genting Malaysia
- 15 September 2007 Twins in Concert Cow Palace, San Francisco/Daly city
- 18 September 2007 Twins Concert in Toronto at Casino Rama (我們相愛6年)
- 22–23 September 2007 Twins Sixth Anniversary World Tour 2007 [Atlantic City] (Twins 我們相愛6年 環遊世界[大西洋城]演唱會)
- 16–18 April 2010 Nokia Twins Everyone Bounce Concert (Nokia 舞樂作動 Twins 人人彈起演唱會)
- 13 November 2010 Twins Everyone Bounce Concert Live in Macau (Twins 人人彈起 Concert Live in Macau)
Photo Albums
- November 2001 Twins 1+1 Photo Album 96 pages
- August 2001 Twins Love The Colorful Travel 112 pages
- August 2003 Twins Love Hong Kong 112 pages
- December 2004 Twins Hold Hands Hong Kong 112 pages
See also
- Gillian ChungGillian ChungGillian Chung is a Hong Kong based singer and actress. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Charlene Choi.-Early life:...
- Charlene ChoiCharlene ChoiCharlene Choi is a Hong Kong based actress and singer. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Gillian Chung.-Biography:...
- CantopopCantopopCantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...